Football
ends season with two nail-biters
Despite record, Tigers have reason for optimism

Casual followers of Princeton
football may focus on the 2000 season's 3--7 record, remembering
the year for its failures. But once the wounds have healed, those
who were there week after week are likely to view this season as
a turning point. Team records and statistics are highly scrutinized
in sports, but, in this case, numbers fail to tell the whole story.

Princeton dropped a heart-breaking,
42--37 decision to the visiting Dartmouth Big Green in the 2000
season finale. The loss dropped the Tigers' overall record to 3--7
(3--4 Ivy League) and was a microcosm of the Princeton season: It
featured explosive offense, back-and-forth action, and a fourth-quarter
rally by the Tigers. But in the end, Princeton fell just shy of
victory.

The Tigers' record may
be disappointing, but the intensity, resolve, and emotion that permeated
their play has given fans reason to believe that a return to the
top of the Ivy League may now be within reach. Princeton's resilience
- throughout a season riddled with disappointment and injury - speaks
to the team's renewed confidence. The Tigers believed, and rightly
so, that they could win every game they played.

"I'm very disappointed
with the loss," said head coach Roger Hughes after the game.
"I wanted this game very badly for our seniors. They have built
a great foundation for this program. Any success that we have in
the future is certainly the legacy they have left.

"We're playing with
great emotion and great determination. We're not coming out on the
high end of the score right now, but it's those types of characteristics
that are necessary to turn things around. Our kids never quit, and
I'm very proud of that. There were a lot of tears shed a few minutes
ago in that locker room, and that tells me something. We are playing
with passion; we're playing with unbelievable intensity; and we've
gotten tougher."

Emotions ran high as
the Tiger seniors took the Princeton Stadium field for the final
time in their collegiate careers. Princeton was looking to avenge
last year's season-ending debacle - a game in which the Tigers watched
an 18-0 fourth-quarter lead evaporate into a stunning, 19--18 Dartmouth
victory. Hughes was hoping to establish momentum for the future
by finishing with a winning record in the Ivy League, and he was
facing the team for which he had served as offensive coordinator
for the past eight years. Add to that Princeton's thrilling, 19--14
triumph over Yale a week earlier, an upset that gave Princeton its
shot at a winning league record, and the Tiger sideline was coursing
with adrenaline.

Princeton jumped out
to a 3--0 lead when junior Taylor Northrop followed a Kevin Kongslie
'03 interception by booting a 42-yard field goal. From there, the
offensive units played a ping-pong match between end zones. Down
21--10 midway through the second quarter, Princeton found the end
zone twice in just over three minutes. The second score was set
up when Paul Simbi '03 blocked a punt deep in Dartmouth territory.
The Tigers capitalized with a Chisom Opara '03 five-yard touchdown
run and took a 24--21 lead into the locker room at the half.

Hughes said, "I
thought we executed our game plan very well. We just can't turn
the ball over, and we can't have penalties. In a close game, that
is going to be the difference."

The fireworks continued
in the second half, and several defensive lapses in the Princeton
secondary led to three Big Green scoring passes from the arm of
junior Greg Smith. (Smith completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 308
yards and four touchdowns.) Down 42--31, the Tigers clawed back
into contention when senior Jon Blevins scored on a quarterback
sneak with 3:19 remaining. But time was simply not on Princeton's
side. Dartmouth was able to convert a first down and run the clock
out.

As the final seconds
ticked away, the Big Green needed to run one last play to seal the
victory. When the ball was snapped, senior captain Mike Higgins
dove over the offensive line in an attempt to strip the ball from
Smith before he could kneel down to end the game. The desperate
leap, though unsuccessful, was symbolic of Higgins's never-say-die
style. His inspiring leadership should have a significant impact
on the returning Tigers. Higgins said, "I think, without question,
the program is on the rise. Every time we take the field, players
believe we're going to win, no matter what the situation is. That's
part of the new attitude here, and I think that will undoubtedly
translate into good things for the future of this program."

The Princeton men's basketball
team traveled down to Durham, North Carolina, to face the Duke Blue
Devils - ranked number one nationally in many polls - in the preseason
NIT on November 14. Princeton, whose roster has been decimated by
injury, illness, transfer, and one professional-contract signing,
got handed an old-fashioned, 87--50, somebody-please-stop-the-fight
beating.

The Tigers took some
heavy blows during the fray at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium: All-America
Shane Battier pummeled the Tigers from long range, hitting nine
of 12 three-point attempts in totaling 29 points, six rebounds,
and three assists; Jason Williams, Duke's dynamic point guard, peppered
the Tigers with his dazzling ball-handling and passing while tallying
17 points and seven assists himself; and the Duke full-court press
delivered the knockout blow late in the first half when the Tigers
were fatigued and reeling.

But the Tiger who got
the worst of this scuffle never put on a uniform. Princeton point
guard Ahmed El Nokali '02 had surgery in early November to repair
a tendon in his groin, forcing him to sit out for a month and keeping
him sidelined for the Tigers' season opener. Watching El Nokali
fidget in his seat on the Princeton bench during the game was even
more painful than following the debacle unfolding on the court.
With each Princeton miscue, an anxious El Nokali contorted his face,
changed position, or gnawed on his knuckles. He was suffering, and
it was clear that his savvy play was exactly what the Tigers needed.

Not flashy or much of
a scoring threat, El Nokali still makes a big difference for the
Tigers. He plays ironclad defense and runs the Princeton offense
with composure and precision. El Nokali calls the plays, makes sure
his teammates are in the proper positions, and almost never commits
a turnover - he is averaging only one turnover every 23.4 minutes
for his career.

So when the Blue Devils
turned up the heat on the Princeton backcourt of freshman Ed Persia
and senior C.J. Chapman, forcing 14 first-half turnovers, Nokali's
gut was in knots. After the game he admitted, "I was dying
to get out there. You could see the guys were playing so hard, but
they were just missing direction."

Duke started fast, hitting
a three-pointer on its first possession and racing out to an 18--6
lead. The Tigers weathered the early storm and, behind several crisp
offensive trips that produced open three-pointers and back-door
lay-ups, pulled to within 22--20 at the 10:12 mark of the first
half. But without its floor general, El Nokali, the offense struggled
to find a rhythm. El Nokali noted, "I guess it was a combination
of being young and inexperienced. Guys were playing roles that they
weren't used to, like C. J. He only got four shots up, but he was
the guy bringing the ball up and handling the pressure most of the
time. He had too many responsibilities. We need him shooting the
ball."

In fact, the Tigers only
managed 16 total field goal attempts during the entire first half.
When Princeton sputtered during the last eight minutes of the opening
stanza, the Blue Devils exploded for a flurry of baskets that made
the score 49--25 at the intermission. Princeton coach John Thompson
'88 said, "I think we got tired at that point. Once fatigue
sets in, the mental part of the game goes too. Their pressure wore
us down."

The onslaught continued
during the second half, and the Duke fans entertained themselves
with various chants and barbs - many of which were actually directed
at their hated rival, the University of North Carolina. Despite
the lopsided score, the crowd maintained a fever pitch until the
final horn.

Duke's pressure defense
was more relentless than the fans until head coach Mike Krzyzewski
cleared his bench during the final minutes. The Tigers never did
establish an offensive rhythm and looked flustered and confused
at several points. Thompson said, "[El Nokali] doesn't turn
the ball over. He's comfortable with the ball in his hands at those
points where it gets kind of ratty out there and we're not sure
what's going on and the guys are kind of bumbling around. Ahmed's
the calming influence, and we missed him tonight."

El Nokali summed up his
emotions by saying, "I just wanted to be out there running
the team. That's all I could think about."

By M.G.

For more on the peculiar
brand of Cameron craziness, see From
the Cheap Seats at www.princeton.edu/~paw.

The field hockey team
continued its dominance of the Ivies by winning a seventh consecutive
league championship. The team completed a 13--3 regular season with
a perfect 7--0 Ivy League record. The Tigers then defeated Penn
State in the first round of the NCAA tournament before losing to
Maryland in the second round. Several individual players were recognized
for their outstanding play. Senior Hilary Matson was named the Ivy
League Player of the Year, and freshman Claire Miller earned league
Rookie of the Year honors. Senior Melanie Meerschwam and sophomores
Emily Townsend and Kelly Baril joined Matson in garnering first-team,
All-Ivy accolades. Senior Kellie Maul and sophomore Ilvy Friebe
were named second-team, All-Ivy, and Cory Picketts received honorable
mention.

The women's soccer team
joined field hockey as Ivy champs when the Tigers defeated the University
of Pennsylvania on November 11, earning a tie with Dartmouth at
the top of the league. As a result, the Tigers earned an automatic
bid to the NCAA tournament. Princeton fell to the University of
Wisconsin in double overtime in the tournament's first round. Senior
Jenny Lankford and sophomore Heather Deerin were named first-team,
All-Ivy. Second-teamers included seniors Julie Shaner and Jordan
Rettig and junior Kelly Sosa. Freshmen Theresa Sherry and Liz Bell
received honorable mention.

The women's volleyball
team continued Princeton's winning ways by capturing its fifth Ivy
League championship in the last seven years. The Tigers boasted
a 20-8 record and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament
by winning the Ivy title.

There were several other
notable performances by Princeton teams this fall. Men's tennis
entered the ECAC Championships as the third seed and emerged with
the title. Women's tennis came within two matches of equaling the
men, but fell in the ECAC semifinals to the University of Pennsylvania.
The women's golf team won the Georgia State Invitational. Four Tigers
placed in the top 11 at the tournament. The men's water polo team
enjoyed a successful season, but fell to Navy in the title game
at the Southern Championships. And the men's cross-country team
finished second at the Heptagonal Games. The Tigers had won nine
consecutive titles before falling to Dartmouth.